Card Range To Study

192 Cards in this Set

any unconsolidated material at Earth's surface, such as soil and rock fragments

debris avalanche

a rapidly moving, turbulent mass of debris, air, and water

debris flow

mass wasting in which motion is taking place throughout the moving mass

debris slide

a coherent mass of debris moving along a well-defined surface

earthflow

debris that moves downsloap as a viscous fluid

landslide

a slow to a very rapid descent of rock or soil

mass wasting

(mass movement) movement in which bedrock, rock debris, or soil moves downslope in bulk because of the pull of gravity

permafrost

ground that remains frozen for many years

relief

the vertical distance between valley floor and mountain summit

rockslide

the rapid sliding of a mass of bedrock along an inclined surface of weakness

rotational slide (slump)

movement along a curved surface - the upper part moving downward while the lower part moves outward

shear force

-parallel to the slope
-indicates the rock's ability to move

slide

-means the descending mass remains relatively intact moving along one or more well-defined surfaces

soluifluction

the flow of water-saturated debris over impermeable material

talus

an apron of fallen rock fragments that accumulate at the base of a cliff

translational slide

the descending mass moves along a plane approx parallel to the slope of the surface

abrasion

the grinding away of the stream channel by the friction and impact of the sediment load

alluvial fan

a large, fan or cone shaped pile of sediments that usually forms where a stream's velocity decreases as it emerges from a narrow mountain canyon onto a flat plain

bar

a ridge of sediment, usually sand and gravel, deposited in the middle or along the banks of a stream

base level

-the limit of erosion of the earth's surface

bed load

the large or heavy sediment particles that travel on the stream bed

braided stream

flowing in a network of interconnected rivulets around numerous bars

delta

a body of sediment deposited at the mouth of a river when the river's velocity decreases

dendritic pattern

-a drainage pattern that resembles branches of a tree or nerve dendrites
-develop on uniformly erodible rock or regolith and are the most common pattern

discharge (of a stream)

the volume of water that flows past a given point in a unit of time

dissolved load

soluble products of chemical weathering processes

distributaries

small, shifting channels that carry water away from the main river channel and distribute it over the surface of the delta

divide

a rich or strip of high ground dividing one drainage basin from another

downcutting

the process of deepening a valley by erosion of the stream bed

drainage basin

the total area drained by a stream and its tributaries

drainage pattern

reveals the nature and structure of the rocks underneath a river

flood plain

a broad strip of land built up by sedimentation on either side of a stream channel

graded stream

one that exhibits a delicate balance between its transporting capacity and the sediment load available to it

headward erosion

the slow, uphill growth of a valley above its original source through gullying, mass wasting, and sheet erosion

hydraulic action

the ability of flowing water to pick up and move rock and sediment

hydrologic cycle

the movement of water and water vapor from the sea to the atmosphere, to the land, and back to the sea and atmosphere again

incised meanders

meanders that retain their sinuous pattern as they cut vertically downward below the level at which they originally formed

lateral erosion

the erosion and undercutting of a stream's banks and valley walls as the stream swings from side to side across its valley floor

meander

sinuous curve

meander cutoff

a new, shorter channel across the narrow neck of a meander

natural levees

low ridges of flood deposited sediment that form on either side of a stream channel and thin away from the channel

oxbow lake

the cutoff meander becomes a crescent-shaped lake that may fill with sediment and vegetation

point bar

a type of sand bar deposited on the inside of curves because of lower velocity there - usually consist of arcuate ridges of sand or gravel

pothole

depressions that are eroded into the hard rock of a stream bed by the abrasive action of the sediment load

radial pattern

a drainage pattern in which streams diverge outward like spokes of a wheel
-they form on high conical mountains like volcanoes and domes

rectangular pattern

a drainage pattern in which tributaries have frequent 90 degree bends and tend to join other streams at right angles

saltation

when sand grains move by traction downstream in a series of short leaps or bounces off the bottom

sheetwash

a thin layer of unchanneled water flowing downhill

solution

gradual dissolving of the rocks in a stream channel

stream

a body of running water that is confined in a channel and moves downhill under the influence of gravity

stream channel

a long, narrow depression eroded by the stream into rock or sediment

stream gradient

the downhill slope of the bed
-controls a stream's velocity

stream terrace

steplike landforms found above a stream and its flood plain

stream velocity

the distance water travels in a stream per unit of time

superposed stream

-shows the origin of mountain ranges that have steep-sided river valleys slicing directly across them
-and old river could have been there and eroded the mountain

suspended load

sediment that is light enough to remain lifted indefinitely above the bottom by water turbulence

traction

movement by rolling, sliding, or dragging

trellis pattern

drainage pattern that consists of parallel main streams with short tributaries meeting them at right angles

tributary

a small stream flowing into a larger one

aquifer

a body of saturated rock or sediment through which water can move easily

artesian wall

a well in which the leve of water is above the top of the aquifer

cave (cavern)

a natuarally formed underground chamber
-they usually form when slightly acidic ground water disolves limestone along the joints and bedding planes

concretion

a hard rounded mass that developes when a considerable amount of cementing material percipitates locally in a rock

confined (artesian) aquifers

confined aquifers

drawdown

local lowering of the water table

gaining streams

-found mostly in rainy regions
-receive water from the saturated zone
-the surface of these streams coincides with the water table

geode

partly hollow, globe-shaped bodies found in some limestones and locally in other rocks

geyser

a type of hot spring that periodically erupts hot water and stream

ground water

the water that lies beneath the ground surface, filling the pore space between grains in bodies of sediment and clastic sedimentary rock, and filling cracks and crevices in all types of rock

hot spring

springs in which the water is warmer than human body temperature

karst topography

describes an area with many sinkholes and with a cave system beneath the land surface

losing stream

-occur in drier climates
-streams that loose water to the saturated zone
-the channels of these streams lie above the water table

perched water table

the top of a body of ground water separated from the main water table beneath it by a zone that is not saturated

permeability

the capacity of a rock to transmit a fluid such as water or petroleum through pores and fractures

aquifer

a body of saturated rock or sediment through which water can move easily

artesian wall

a well in which the leve of water is above the top of the aquifer

cave (cavern)

a natuarally formed underground chamber
-they usually form when slightly acidic ground water disolves limestone along the joints and bedding planes

concretion

a hard rounded mass that developes when a considerable amount of cementing material percipitates locally in a rock

confined (artesian) aquifers

confined aquifers

drawdown

local lowering of the water table

gaining streams

-found mostly in rainy regions
-receive water from the saturated zone
-the surface of these streams coincides with the water table

geode

partly hollow, globe-shaped bodies found in some limestones and locally in other rocks

geyser

a type of hot spring that periodically erupts hot water and stream

ground water

the water that lies beneath the ground surface, filling the pore space between grains in bodies of sediment and clastic sedimentary rock, and filling cracks and crevices in all types of rock

hot spring

springs in which the water is warmer than human body temperature

karst topography

describes an area with many sinkholes and with a cave system beneath the land surface

losing stream

-occur in drier climates
-streams that loose water to the saturated zone
-the channels of these streams lie above the water table

perched water table

the top of a body of ground water separated from the main water table beneath it by a zone that is not saturated

permeability

the capacity of a rock to transmit a fluid such as water or petroleum through pores and fractures
-measures the relative ease of water flow and indicates the degree to which openings in a rock interconnect

petrified wood

a type of fossil that develops when porous buried wood is either filled in or replaced by inorganic silica carried in by ground water

porosity

the percentage of rock or sediment that consists of voids or openings
-measures the rock's ability to hold water